Baltimore album reviews [Pictures]

RATING: ** 1/2 out of 4 It's common for a funk-jam band to accumulate a following -- or a "flock," as the Baltimore quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong lovingly refers to their fanbase -- through live shows. The audience is typically there to appreciate the showy musicianship, follow improvise

RATING: ** 1/2 out of 4 It's common for a funk-jam band to accumulate a following -- or a "flock," as the Baltimore quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong lovingly refers to their fanbase -- through live shows. The audience is typically there to appreciate the showy musicianship, follow improvise (Handout)

RATING: *** out of 4 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Ed Schrader's Music Beat, "Party Jail" The words of Ed Schrader have delighted and perplexed audiences for years. When he moved to Baltimore from his hometown of Utica, N.Y., in 2006, Schrader quickly made a name for himself in Dan Deacon's Wham City art

RATING: *** out of 4 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Ed Schrader's Music Beat, "Party Jail" The words of Ed Schrader have delighted and perplexed audiences for years. When he moved to Baltimore from his hometown of Utica, N.Y., in 2006, Schrader quickly made a name for himself in Dan Deacon's Wham City art (Handout)

RATING: *** 1/2 out of **** "Before," the opening track to Wye Oak's fourth album (out Tuesday), is about an awakening. The first words are "This morning I woke up on the floor, thinking 'I have never dreamed before.'" The song is gorgeous and unsettling -- a common trait of most tracks made b

RATING: *** 1/2 out of **** "Before," the opening track to Wye Oak's fourth album (out Tuesday), is about an awakening. The first words are "This morning I woke up on the floor, thinking 'I have never dreamed before.'" The song is gorgeous and unsettling -- a common trait of most tracks made b (Handout)

RATING: *** 1/2 out of 4 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Sun Club, "Dad Claps at the Mom Prom" If there is an appropriate record to celebrate spring's anticipated arrival in Baltimore, it must be this instantly engaging six-track EP from local indie-pop quintet Sun Club. Technically, "Dad Claps at the Mo

RATING: *** 1/2 out of 4 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Sun Club, "Dad Claps at the Mom Prom" If there is an appropriate record to celebrate spring's anticipated arrival in Baltimore, it must be this instantly engaging six-track EP from local indie-pop quintet Sun Club. Technically, "Dad Claps at the Mo (Handout)

RATING: **** out of 4 It takes a lot to impress David Letterman. For more than 30 years, late-night TV's charming curmudgeon has seen it all, from presidents to pop-culture figures. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic response from the 66-year-old in recent years than hi

RATING: **** out of 4 It takes a lot to impress David Letterman. For more than 30 years, late-night TV's charming curmudgeon has seen it all, from presidents to pop-culture figures. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic response from the 66-year-old in recent years than hi (Beth Hoeckel / 4AD / Handout)

Making sense of Baltimore's music scene, from rap to indie-rock to pop, and everything in-between. Local artists interested in submitting albums or mixtapes for potential review can email Wesley Case or contact him on Twitter.